Meet my Girl: St. Teresa of Avila. Feast Day is Tomorrow!

To paraphrase my 16 old, St. Teresa of Avila is totally FIRE!  

I have been reading St. Theresa of Avila's Interior Castle.  I have to be honest, I am only understanding probably less than half of what I read.  But what I am reading is SO RICH.

First of all, St. Theresa writes so plainly, it as if she is having a conversation with the reader.  And there is something completely AMAZING about feeling like you are having a REAL conversation with a Saint.  Like these are her words, and she is speaking directly to you.  Not just a conversation that you make up in your head. (I do that a lot by the way.)

The whole book is basically an instruction manual that the Saint's superiors asked her to write for the religious living the carmelite way of life.  Things had gotten a little comfortable over the years, and Teresa was great at shaking things up.   Her book, Interior Castle, explains how a person can enter their own soul through meditation to encounter God in this amazing way.

But she doesn't just give a brief explanation or description of what step 1 is; followed by step 2.  Although some may prefer if she had!  She speaks directly from her heart, and gives such rich words of wisdom along the way.

Here are some of my favorite snipits...

In talking about how limited our own knowledge of ourselves is: "It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that, through our own fault, we do not understand ourselves, or know who we are."   Well isn't that a relief?  She is basically saying we are not that smart, people, but it is not our fault.  God created us so uniquely, and wonderfully and beautifully, that we couldn't possibly understand ourselves.  I get it.  I don't get it.

At another point St. Theresa talks about consolations, or favors, or what I would consider almost "God-Incidents" and she says, "He grants these favours, then, not because those who receive them are holier than those who do not, but in order that His greatness may be made known, as we see in the case of Saint Paul and Magdalen, and in order that we may praise Him in His creatures."  She explains those times in our lives where we recognize these little God Moments as opportunities to recognize God's goodness.  YES. Totally!  (but in like 16th-century language.)

St. Teresa of Avila is a powerhouse and not for the light-hearted.  She is essentially the EXACT opposite of Puppy dogs and ice cream.   Whenever you need a kick in the pants, she is there for you.  Another quote from her that I need to hear occasionally is that "prayer and comfortable living are incompatible."  She also shares that "The less I have, the more free I become."   Yes. I find this true in my life as well.  

There are so many great stories about this firey woman.  I pray that she can help me become a Powerhouse for the Lord.  She loved him Fiercely and I pray I will have the courage to do the same someday!

Faith & Life

Reasonably Happy

Walking alongside someone in grief reminded me of what we are actually allowed to expect from this life.

Personal Reflection

I recently had the opportunity to walk alongside someone who was in crisis.

This person had just experienced a tragic death. Living with the aftermath of that kind of loss feels overwhelming, unfair, and to be honest — pretty sucky. There is no other word for it sometimes. It just is.

In moments like these, my prayer to God is simply this: "Why, God? We don't understand." I do not mean it rudely or disrespectfully. But if prayer is just talking to God, then as far as I am concerned, that prayer counts. A hundred percent.

We teach that God is merciful and loving and kind and gentle. And so often, that is simply not our experience. The gap between what we profess and what we feel can be enormous. And I think God is big enough to hold that tension with us.

✦ ✦ ✦

In times like these, I keep coming back to the Serenity Prayer. Not as a platitude, but as a genuine reset for the soul.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;

taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will;

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

The Serenity Prayer

Did you catch that? Reasonably happy. Not perfectly happy. Not supremely happy. Reasonably happy. That is all we should expect in this life.

And you know what? I can say that. I am reasonably happy. Perfectly happy? No. Supremely happy? Definitely not. But that was never the promise. That was never what this life was meant to deliver. And somehow, having that expectation reset is one of the most freeing things I have ever encountered.

(And for the record, I do think I have had some pretty supremely happy moments along the way. But those are gifts, not guarantees.)

✦ ✦ ✦

Thank you, Lord, for resetting the expectations. For helping us understand that this is a broken world, and that the brokenness is not from You. You did not design us for this pain. But You have given us something better than a pain-free life. You have given us hope. Hope for a supremely happy life in the next.

That is enough. More than enough.

Are you walking through something heavy right now? You are not alone, and your honest prayers — even the "Why, God?" ones — absolutely count. Pray for me! I will pray for you. 🙏

A Personal Blog on Faith, Life & the Journey

When the things you pray for don't happen

Faith & Life

When the Door Does Not Open

A reflection on faith, unanswered prayer, and the courage to keep trusting.

Personal Reflection

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"Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened."

But what happens when it does not turn out the way you prayed for? What happens when you do not receive it? What happens when the door is slammed in your face?

Let me be honest with you for a moment. There are good things I have prayed for, sincerely and desperately, and God has answered with "No." I am not talking about winning the lottery or some self-serving wish. I am talking about healing. I am talking about a child who, for whatever heartbreaking reason, does not beat her cancer. I am talking about the most terrible things we can ever imagine.

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I was taught to pray expectantly. To claim these answers from Heaven, and to thank God for answering them even before it happens. But how are we supposed to respond when the exact opposite of what we prayed for comes to pass?

How do we continue to trust God through that?

I wrestled with this question hard recently, and the most honest answer I could arrive at was simply this: because I have no other choice.

The only alternative to trusting God is trusting the world. And I do not trust the world. Because we are not living for this world. This world is temporary and broken, and expecting to find our forever here is like expecting a woman to remain pregnant forever. It was never meant to be permanent. It was always meant to give way to something more.

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So I have to move forward in faith, even when I do not understand, even when it is hard. Even when it hurts in ways I do not have words for.

Because God never leaves. He walks with me through these difficult seasons. He provides a consolation that is perfect and tender, a quiet assurance that it is okay to be hurt, that grief is not a lack of faith. He reminds me that He too was hurt by this world. He does not expect us to walk through anything in this world that He Himself did not first experience.

That truth brings me comfort. That truth helps me heal.

Pray for me. I will pray for you. 🙏

A Personal Blog on Faith, Life & the Journey

 Faith & Life

What Do You Do With Your Fruit?

Everything we have comes from God.   The question is what we do with it.

Personal Reflection  ·  Matthew 21:33–43, 45–46

"The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

Matthew 21:43

Everything we have is given to us by God. Everything.

There is not a single good thing that exists on this earth that does not find its origin in our Creator. When I have success in the workplace, that is because God provided me the wisdom to handle something properly. (Truly a miracle if you know me.) When my family has financial success, that is because God allowed the timing of the economy to work in our favor. Everything from success at the gym and fitting looser in my jeans, to stumbling across an amazing investment and gaining a quick profit — that is all a credit to our faithful God.

Now, to be clear: the opposite is not necessarily true. When I fail at something, or make a bad choice, that is almost entirely through some fault of my own. I know that might seem unfair. But the reality is that God is good. All the time. So when something bad happens, it is not God. God can bring good things out of bad situations, but He does not cause the bad things to happen.

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Which brings me back to the real question. What do we do with the fruit of our labor? And I mean all of it — not just the money we make from our jobs, but the praise we receive for our gifts, the benefits that come from our good choices, the opportunities that seem to fall into our laps. All of it is fruit. All of it came from somewhere beyond us.

Do we hoard it for ourselves, like the tenants in today's Gospel? Or do we willingly and gladly give it back to the Lord?

Clearly, we need to give it back. But what does that actually look like? Here are three places to start.

One  ·  Give generously

Give 1/10 of your income to the Church and to charity. This might feel scary at first, but here is the truth: you cannot outgive God. Give Him one tenth, and the ninety percent you keep will always be sufficient. Always.

Two  ·  Give praise

Thank God for the little things and the big things. "Thank you, Jesus, for that parking space!" counts just as much as thanking Him for the tax credit that covers your child's braces. Gratitude in small moments builds a habit of the heart.

Three  ·  Give your time

Be a good steward of your time. When you find yourself with a spare moment — and yes, I know that almost seems fictional — do you spend any of it with Him in prayer? My own compromise is sometimes watching a religious series, so I can have it all: prayer and entertainment. No judgment here.

Be the kind of tenant the Scripture is looking for. The kind who remembers where the vineyard came from in the first place, and gives back to the owner what was always His.

Give to God what is owed to God. Which, it turns out, is everything.

Which of these three is hardest for you right now — generosity, gratitude, or time? I would love to hear. Pray for me! I will pray for you. 🙏

A Personal Blog on Faith, Life & the Journey

Be an Instrument of Peace

Today’s Gospel is not my favorite – because it is especially tough.  Jesus speaks to all of us about the importance of reconciliation with one another.  Notice there is not a disclaimer about how we should seek to reconcile only if we intentionally hurt someone, or if we may have done something we weren’t supposed to do.   Jesus makes it clear that it is OUR responsibility to seek reconciliation “when we realize that someone has something against us.” 
 
Say what?  This is opposite from how our world responds to injustice.  Our culture today would argue that this is not our problem.  Just leave it alone and go on with your life, or post something on social media and publicly ridicule this offender.  This is how the world often responds.
 
Musician and Monk John Michael Talbot has an excellent reflection on this Gospel where he recalls that approaching the altar of the lord, and realizing that we have something against our brother or sister; well that’s easy – we can go to confession.  But if we realize that someone has something against us, we need to go talk to that person first.   This is the challenging part.
 
The prayer of St. Francis seems especially appropriate for these occasions in our life. Why should we bother ourselves with reconciling with those who might be difficult?  Because we want to be instruments of peace.  Because where there is hatred, we should be sowing love, and where there is injury, we should be seeking pardons.  It doesn’t matter who is injured.  It doesn’t matter who feels the hatred.  We are called to be instruments of peace in every situation!

Epic Fail Again, The Family prayer night...

I know amazing people whose children behave perfectly during mass,  do millions of hours of family service for other people, and participate in weekly or even nightly family prayer time.

Yes, this is happening out there.  Unfortunately, it isn't happening in my home. 

I know, I know. Shocker!  The lady who writes a blog called "Disciplechic" whose family attends two churches doesn't have a family prayer time.  (See me shrugging over here?)  I tried.

Now before you start judging me for judging myself, please know that I am super proud of my family.  My kids aren't terrible during Mass, and we do pray regularly. Usually, it is when I am sighing very loudly, "Lord have mercy" because some crazy thing is happening at that moment. (Think 5 kids explaining their Christmas wish list at the same exact time, and then arguing that they were talking first, at the same exact time.)    But we aren't good at planned family prayer time.

I was half hoping for Advent we could start a new tradition, and really spend this season anticipating the birth of Jesus. But my most recent advent efforts resulted in me lighting a candle, praying for hope, and my 16-year-old blowing it out immediately so that the dog doesn't eat the lit candle.  It lasted less than .02 seconds and I am pretty sure episodes of Judge Judy

Therefore, I decided to give up the idea of Family Prayer Night.  Then the Lord inspired with me a different idea.  Family prayer MORNING.  I know I am sort of an idiot sometimes.   We are definitely better morning people. So every school morning at 7 AM before my husband leaves for work before we take the dog for a walk. AFTER my 17-year-old is out of bed (sometimes not dressed) we spend 5 minutes in prayer.  We usually play a 2-minute video from the bible app or You Version and then read the scripture.  Then we all make a prayer request and pray together before heading out in five different directions. 

IT HAS BEEN AMAZING!

Now I am not sharing this to brag yall.  This is supposed to be inspiring.  If the family with 5 kids and two full-time working parents can do it, I KNOW YOU CAN TOO!

Are you ready for your work out?

Lent starts next week on Wednesday, March 2^nd with Ash Wednesday and if you are an active Catholic your email inbox might look like mine; flooded with ways to make this year’s Lent the MOST AMAZING LENT EVER.   There is no shortage of publications, email subscription lists, and prayer meditations for you to subscribe to make your journey through lent a powerful one.   But will you?

As Catholics, our Lenten experience is supposed to be a bit of a workout.  It is 40 days of spiritual weightlifting.    Sacrifice, Prayer and Charitable works. This is the tri-fecta for your Lenten Exercises.   But with so many choices out there for spiritual content, sometimes less if more.   

However, you decide to spend your Lent, just like with a workout regime, it’s best to come up with a plan BEFORE you begin.  Think about your Lenten Goals. Think about what ways God is calling you to grow.  Take time to discern and listen to the will of God, and then pray for God to reveal himself to you in a powerful way!  Decide now, which resources will be best for you.

There is something for everyone.   Are you into podcasts? Listening to prayer? Know the basics of how to use a smart Phone?  Then the Catholic App HALLOW is amazing!  There is a free version with access to wonderful prayer resources and speakers, or a paid subscription that unlocks content to keep you listening and praying through the day.  This is one of my favorites to use with my family and has wonderful content for children as well.   (I like doing the examen prayer with my kids before bed.)

Do you sit in front of a computer all day long?  Then perhaps filling your inbox with prayer spam isn’t a bad idea?  The Catholic Company sends a daily reflection that only takes a few minutes to read each morning.  Beginning your work day in prayer is a really smart way to spend some time focusing on God and what better place to read these prayers than in your own INBOX.  Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire also provides excellent content to keep you focused, or if your parish subscribes to Flocknote, they have access to send you wonderful Lenten reflections through email or Text.

No matter what you decide, decide SOMETHING.  Your extra sacrifices might end come Easter, but hopefully your charitable acts and prayer time will continue into life-long habits.  

Sorry it's been a while...

I have definitely been avoiding this blog for a bit.  It wasn't that I didn't have a lot to say, I just was having a hard time staying positive.

Do you ever go through those dark times?

I stopped praying regularly, and I stopped meditating on my awesome God.  I still talked to God, but it was more of a whine than a prayer.

And well, life has been a little crazy lately. Like Hurricane Crazy.

But in truth, things are good.  Isn't that when it all comes crashing down? When things are normal, it's like autopilot.  That is when it is hardest for me to connect with God.  When it seems all is well.

In an attempt to get back into a powerful prayer time here are a few things I think I need to do.  Maybe these are good for you as well. 


1.  Just sit and be quiet for at least 10 minutes a day.
2.  Read a prayerful or Christ-centered book for at least 10 minutes a day.
3. Be grateful for the normal that might exist at the moment.
4.  Seek out others that might not be experiencing normal, and walk with them through their darkness.

Pray for me Yall!  I will be praying for you!

New Parish Event!

 My new parish event that I am really excited to promote is going to be HUGE.  I am actually hoping to get THOUSANDS of people to participate in this FREE event.  First of all this is going to be a super fun event, that will be extremely convenient for pretty everyone, and I think will be pretty successful!  

The name of this event is:

"GO HOME AND LOVE YOUR FAMILY!"

I can't wait to launch this event.  I am thinking bulletin posts, social media promotions, maybe even some Lector announcements.  WE ARE GOING TO PROMOTE THE HECK OUT OF THIS EVENT!

This event is grounded in Scripture: Mark 6:19 actually says, "But he would not permit him but told him instead, Go Home to your Family."

Basically I am thinking our parish is getting short of a country club.  We have events pretty much every night and weekends.  Bible studies, fellowship groups, Catholic Women groups, Knight of Columbus, youth group, etc. etc.   I think I see some of the same people at church EVERYDAY.  

I gotta be honest everyone, Church is not meant to be everyone's mission field.  We definitely need to be spiritually fed, and I LOVE studying scripture with others. But at some point we have to Go home and love our families!  Then we need to go OUT into the world and share the Love of God with everyone out there.

We haven't settled on a specific date yet, but I will be sure to let you all know how it goes!